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“It’s fine. What good is having a man wrapped around your finger if you can’t take advantage of it?”

“Are you sure?”

“I am. You can follow me.”

The waitress assured me when Grayson paid the bill, he left a more than generous tip. So, I gathered up my bag and followed Jessie out the door. I hesitated as I made my way to my car. It felt as if I was being watched. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up like a static charge. Looking around didn’t produce anyone familiar, but then, it never did.

It was unusual to get a note two days in a row. And since the last one came yesterday, I was semi confident there wouldn’t be one today. Seeing the empty windshield, I sighed in relief as I climbed into my car and followed Jessie to the Powell Ranch.

Chapter Forty-Four

Melissa

The small cabin on the Powell Ranch was just what I needed to escape. It was quiet. Serene. A place where I could think and figure out what I would do with my life, now that I had given up everything.

It was pretty rustic, mostly one large room with two small bedrooms and a bathroom off the back. But it had electricity and heat. It was cozy. With its worn leather sofa and blankets to curl up with by the fireplace. Which I was thankful I wouldn’t be required to light to stay warm.

Grayson explained these cabins used to house employees and their families, but the only employees living on the ranch now were single guys who preferred to sleep in the bunkhouse. They wanted to be close to the house, and the cabins were a touch more remote.

Cell service was spotty out here, so Grayson had left me a radio and an ATV to get back to my car. He assured me he wouldn’t tell anyone I was here and I could stay as long as I needed.

He talked Jessie into having dinner with him. I wanted to feel bad about putting her in that position, but something about the way she spoke to him and her body language when he was close told me she needed the push to allow herself to do something she really wanted. But for some reason, felt like she couldn’t.

So, I kept my mouth shut.

Sitting out on the porch, I looked over the flat land in front of me. I could see for miles out here. No buildings, other than a few more cabins, no oversized structures of any kind to impede my view, and I had to admit.

It was beautiful.

The sound of an engine caught my attention, and I wondered who would be out here. Shielding my eyes from the sun, I watched as the rider came nearer. Two steps down from the porch had me moving closer to the uninvited guest.

“Travis?”

“What the fuck, Princess?”

He swung his leg over the seat of the four-wheeler and stomped over to me. Grabbing me in his arms, his lips crashed onto mine, and in an instant, everything was gone.

The turmoil with Danny and Dante, the thought of losing Danika, and the notes from the person following me. Gunner, Zach, the club. All of it evaporated like a puddle left after the rain, forgotten once it disappeared from the heat of the sun.

Pulling back, I asked him, “What are you doing here?”

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

“Travis.” Pulling myself out of his arms, I walked up the steps. “How did you even know where I was? Grayson said he wouldn’t tell anyone,” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

“Dante told me.”

“How did—”

“Nav hacked the cameras in town, and we saw you leave the diner with Jessie. Dante called her, and she told us where you were headed.”

“Dammit, Zach.” He needed to butt out of my life. “Go back to the clubhouse, Travis.”

“Fuck the clubhouse. I thought I made it clear to you that this was it. You were mine. I wasn’t letting you run away from me again.”

Turning, I stared at him, my mouth hanging open.

“Did I fuck it up? Did you not understand what I said? You’re fucking smart, Princess, but I can say it again if you need clarification.”